


Letters to Juliet.

by Aphroditedany



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV), Letters to Juliet (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Inspired by Letters to Juliet (2010)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:15:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aphroditedany/pseuds/Aphroditedany
Summary: Dany Hall is a fact-checker, inspiring to become a writer. While on a honeymoon trip to Verona, and left all alone by her fiance, she meets Juliet's Secretaries and finds a letter that will change her life.
Relationships: Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	1. Verona

She loves Daario, she truly does. But his obsession with everything Italian- from wines to cheese- has become _overbearing._

Here they are, in Verona, one of the most romantic places on Earth, right next to Juliet's house. You know, Romeo and Juliet, right?

And all he can think of is that wine auction and how much good truffles he will find here for his restaurant.

Dany loves Daario, she does. But she can't find the way to tell him he has been neglectful lately.

* * *

_A whole day all by my own, on our honeymoon... Splendid._

Daario is lost in the Italian countryside once again, looking for truffles or wine, she doesn't really remember. She only knows she has all the time in the world to explore Verona, Juliet's home.

She has been wandering for more than an hour in the city, trying to absorb every sound, every colour, every pattern. Everything here is so different from USA and the chaotic New York; the aromas, the sounds, the language, the atmosphere. Even the sky seems a little more blue.

Juliet's house is her last stop. And what a sight is awaiting her.

The old mansion is filled with women from every corner of the world, of every language, every colour, every age. Others are reciting quotations from Shakespeare's famous work, others are tearfully hugging Juliet's statue.

And others are sitting anywhere they find, scribbling furiously on small pieces of paper.

It is obvious all of them are heartbroken, each one in their own way.

After they finish, Dany silently watches them hiding the letters in the schisms of the wall. A sobbing woman approaches her, but she doesn't understand if she really sees where she's going.

Her heart clenches at the sight. "Miss, are you alright? Can I get you some water?"

The woman only keeps walking to the exit, talking to herself between her sobs in a language Dany doesn't understand.

She doesn't know why, but the heartbreaking sight compels her to stay.

* * *

It's about 3 p.m. when everyone has left, but Dany is still at Juliet's house. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a woman around her 40s arrives with a large basket in her arm and starts collecting the letters.

Surprised, Dany watches her _Is she... Is she stealing them?! What does she want them for?_

Deciding to be a little braver, Dany gets up and approaches the strange woman "Excuse me. Parlate Inglese?"

"Yes. Yes, of course."

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Dany Hall."

The woman smiles kindly and takes Dany's proffered hand. "I am Isabella."

"I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I see you are picking the letters all those women left. May I ask... Why are you doing this?"

Isabella seems confused. "Why do I pick them?" Suddenly, she notices Dany's large notebook and smiles. "Ah, I see. You're a writer!"

 _A fact-checker, really..._ "Yes, yes. I'm a writer."

Isabella picks the last three letters and smiles at her knowningly. "Come with me. I'll show you."

* * *

She can't believe she is with Juliet's Secretaries, the women who reply to all the letters at Juliet's House. But here she is.

Isabella walks around the table as she is introducing her to the women. "This is Donatella. She deals with marital problems."

"Husbands are like wine, cara, they take a long time to mature!"

Dany chuckles as Isabella continues. "This is Francesca, she deals with illness and loss. And Maria..."

"Why are you always sighing when you say my name?"

"Maria has 9 children and 14 grandchildren.", Isabella explains, leaving Dany speechless. "She writes whatever she likes, to whomever she likes."

"And you? Who are you responding to?"

"I write to those you can barely read.", Isabella says as she picks a tear-stained letter. "The really heartbroken ones, the lost and unrequited loves... Someone has to do it."

A sudden idea forms in Dany's mind, and she spits it out before she can think about it better.

"How about you gain one more secretary?"

The women seem perplexed. 

"You see, I've come here with my fiance..."

"Oh, fiance!", Maria gushes.

"Brava!"

"Congratulazioni!"

"Well, yes... Daario is half- Italian, and we have come here for holidays. He is at work now, so I will be free for most of our days here. I... I really want to stay here and help you with the letters. And it is going to help me with my... book."

"A fifth secretary is welcome. You will be of great help with the english letters, too." Isabella responds with a smile. "Welcome, Dany."

* * *

_Some days later..._

Her hands are trembling with emotion, as she is reading the old letter to the other secretaries. A letter so old, with a story so heartbreaking, that she is about to shed tears.

_"I didn't go to him, Juliet._

_I didn't go to Lorenzo. His eyes were so full of trust, I promised I'd meet him and run away together because my parents don't approve. But, instead, I left him waiting for me below our tree - waiting and wondering where I was. I'm in Verona now. I return to London in the morning and I am so afraid. Please, Juliet, tell me what I should do. My heart is breaking and I have no one else to turn to._

_Love, Claire."_

Silence falls upon them. Donatella speaks first. "And it has been there. All those years. Close and unread... Who knows. Maybe she stayed with Lorenzo, maybe she followed her heart."

"Or she went to London, and married a Duke. They have six children and still make passionate love every night.", Maria says with a dreamy expression that makes Dany chuckle.

Francesca looks bored. "Or she didn't marry a Duke. She married one of those miserable, cold English men. He is paler than a white wall, he has grown bald and fat and she has to do all the work when she wants sex..."

 _"Francescaaa",_ the women scold her.

Dany looks at Isabella. She knows that, no matter what the others say, Isabella is somehow the unofficial leader. "Isabella... Please. I have to reply. She deserves it. Even if it's too late."

Isabella simply smiles and gives her a clean piece of paper. "Then reply."

* * *

After a sleepless night and many failed attempts, she has finally finished the letter. Now she only has to send it... If anyone ever gets it.

_Dear Claire,_

_"What" and "If" are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What... if? What, if? What if...? I don't know how your story ended, but if what you felt then was true love, then it's never too late. If it was true then, why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart. I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like - a love to leave loved ones for, a love to cross oceans for - but I'd like to believe, if I ever were to feel it, that I'd have the courage to seize it. And, Claire, if you didn't, I hope one day that you will._

_All my love,_

_Juliet._

* * *

Only three days have passed, she knows it is a very short timespan, but she really wants to know if Claire still lives and if she has received the letter.

When they are about to close for the day, a man steps inside their office. He is simply, yet immaculately dressed, and he looks gorgeous with his short curly black hair and deep brown eyes.

_Scratch gorgeous. Devastatingly handsome._

The unknown man speaks with a distinct British accent. "Excuse me. Is this the office of Juliet's Secretaties?"

"Yes, we are the Secretaries.", Isabella replies.

"Can you tell me which one of you wrote this letter to my grandmother, Claire Smith?"

Her heart beats frantically in her chest. "Oh my God. It's me. My name is Dany Hall. Did... did she like it?"

"Oh, she did! In fact, we are both here. I am her grandson, Jon Stark. Dany... May I talk to you for a second?"

Curious at to what he may want to talk about, she follows him outside the office.

The scowl that has formed in his face and his displeased tone destroy the first good impression she has had of him.

" _What. Were. You. Thinking?"_


	2. She deserved a reply!

_"What. Were. You. Thinking?"_

She starts getting irritated. "Well, I think she deserved a reply."

"50 years ago maybe, not now!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know true love had an expiration date."

He has the audacity to laugh. "True love, huh? Her true love was my grandfather, with whom he had my father!"

"There is a letter who says otherwise. If you want to read it, of course. I don't want to destroy the little bubble you are living within."

"True love...", he says dismissively, looking at her like if she is an alien. "Where do you come from? The Kingdom of Happily Ever After? And anyway, what's with the white hair and purple eyes? Are you one of those vain Instagram models who finally got bored of her superficial life and decided to live through others?"

She swears she sees red with his rudeness. "Hate to inform you, but the hair and the eyes are real. All real. And no, I don't live through others. I am a fact-checker in NYT, and I have a fiance!"

"How marvelous.", he drawls sarcastically. "My apologies to the future groom."

Something flashes in her mind, something that she hadn't given much thought because of the petty fight she's currently involved. "You said... **We** came? Is Claire with you?"

"It's none of your business. She got upset enough from that letter, I won't subject her to more stress because of your thoughtlessness."

When he turns to leave, she grabs him by the arm. "I'd like very much to meet her. I want to meet Claire."

"And I wanted to buy Manchester United but not all dreams come true, do they?"

"English humour. How charming. Like your cuisine. _Absolutely hideous._ "

Jon Stark merely scoffs and leaves, although she can see he is red with anger, to her great satisfaction.

She follows him, and she realises he is going to Juliet's House. When he arrives, her heart skips a beat.

Jon is talking to an elderly woman, who is obviously Claire. Doing a quick calculation by the letter she found, she must be about 65 years old. She certainly looks like her age, but she is still tall and regal and beautiful.

Jon sees her and rolls his eyes. "Here she comes."

"Uhm, hello, nice to meet you. Are you Claire? Claire Smith?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"My name is Dany Hall. I am the one who wrote you the letter from Juliet."

Realisation draws on Claire's face and she smiles brightly. "Oh, it was you... You found it after all these years... Thank you, dear."

Dany returns the warm smile, looking at Jon pointedly. "Well, your grandson here found me first. He was... _so kind and charming..._ and thought you might like to meet me and the other Secretaries."

Claire raises one eyebrow and looks at Jon. "Uncharacteristically thoughtful of you, darling. Didn't know you had it in you."

"Well, since we had that tiring journey, I thought you might like to meet the woman responsible for all this madness."

Claire chuckles, her eyes alight with mirth. "Jon doesn't approve, which makes it all the more fun. Now, where were we...? Ah, yes. I'd like to meet the other Secretaries. After all these years I am in Verona again, it doesn't seem real. It's like I'm in a fairytale."

"Absoutely not!", Jon exclaims. "Absolutely not. It's been a long journey, we are tired. Miss Hall and her friends can wait for one more day."

Claire gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Okay darling, have a good sleep." She then turns her attention to Dany, who tries to suppress a laugh. "Do you know a good place where we can have dinner? All of us, preferably."

Dany smiles at Claire. "I know exactly the place."

* * *

"It was a warm summer, one of those marvelous summers the Mediterrenean countries always have... I had come with my parents for vacation, and I met Lorenzo. He was working at the vineyards, and... It was love at first sight."

All the women smile and sigh quietly. Only Jon rolls his eyes, but that's expected of him.

"We were at the same age. He was beautiful, and kind, and he made me laugh so much. One week before we left Italy, he gave me this." She unclasps the heart necklace she's wearing and shows it to everyone. "He called me _la ragazza più bella del mondo ..._ the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Τu sei ancora bella, Claire.", Maria says sweetly.

"Grazie, cara.", Claire replies before she's lost in her memories again. "We had decided to elope and get married, but I was afraid, and I didn't want to lose my parents. So... I left him. The only thing I want to do, after all these years, is to find him, to tell him how sorry I am for being such a coward."

"Of course, you could have always sent him a letter, Gran. Less complicated."

Claire laughs, but Dany can't hold her eyeroll back. "Jon is like his grandfather, I'm afraid. He doesn't believe in love."

Donatella scoffs. "Typical British. They don't have a romantic bone in their bodies."

"Coldest fish.", Maria supplies.

"Oh, is that it?", Jon says. "May I ask, who wrote Romeo and Juliet?"

"Williamo Shakespearelli, a great Italian.", Maria says without hesitation and everyone laughs.

"I told you, Gran, they're all mad."

Claire simply chuckles and stands up. "I'd like to thank you all for this great evening. We have to retire for the night. It's been a long day."

Everyone says goodnight and Claire leaves with Jon. Dany watches them for some seconds before an idea forms in her mind.

"Claire! Wait a second!"

Claire and Jon stop and Jon seems unable to hide his displeasure. "Do you want something, dear?"

"Well, yes... You see, I am currently working as a fact- checker in NYT and also writing articles and small novels. I was wondering, if you wanted help to find Lorenzo. I assume you don't know where to begin from..."

"Novels and articles? Are you a writer? Gran, she's trying to pry into our private lives! We can't let her!"

"Oh, come on Jon. It's a love story of a 15 year-old girl, not the secrets of MI6. Dany, if you think you can offer some help, I'd love you to accompany us."

"I won't write anything about this if you don't give me your permission. I will help you track Lorenzo, and that will be it. Nonetheless, I believe this is a story worth telling."

"You have my permission. Don't listen to Jon and his ramblings."

She tries to hide her excitement. This is her chance to finally see if she's made to be a writer, and she can help a woman find her lost love at the same time...

"Great! So, when do we begin?"

"Tomorrow. If you don't have anything else to do, of course."

"I don't. My fiance is getting supplies for the restaurant he wants to build, he is busy all the time. I have many free days in my schedule."

"So, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow!"

 _"Splendid."_ , Jon drawls in annoyance, throwing daggers at her.

Since she has Claire's support, she doesn't care for the petty grandson at all.


	3. "I am Lorenzo Bartolini!"

When Claire shows her the heart pendant Lorenzo gave her, Dany draws a 10-kilometre ray around the village they first met. Claire is pretty certain Lorenzo would never leave this area, he loved the vineyards too much.

Needless to say, there are over 20 Lorenzos. Others are older or younger than Claire, others look nothing like him, others don't have his eyes...

It proves to be quite a ride.

* * *

_"I am Lorenzo Bartolini!"- a priest._

_"I am Lorenzo Bartolini!"- a salesman._

_"I am Lorenzo Bartolini!"- a local singer._

_"I am Lorenzo Bartolini!"- a simple farmer._

_"Take him! TAKE HIM!"- the farmer's desperate wife._

* * *

One night, as a sign of goodwill, Dany decides to stay with Jon for dinner, much to Jon and Claire's surprise. Inevitably, they end up discussing about love.

"What an idiot, that Romeo.", Jon muses. "Standing under a balcony and declaring his love for his girl."

"I imagine it's ridiculous to you, you have proven you have no romanticism in you after all.", Dany replies teasingly.

"No, no. You misunderstood me. I didn't say he was an idiot for falling in love. Everyone does. He was a coward. If I ever met the love of my life and knew it, I wouldn't stand under balconies, singing stupid love songs and making empty proclamations. I would have grabbed her from that blasted balcony and been done with it."

"So, you're practically saying that your grandmother was a coward for not leaving with Lorenzo."

Jon's eyes widen for a moment before he chuckles quietly. "Okay, okay, you got me. Yes, perhaps she was a coward."

"Although, I have to admit, your opinion about true love was... romantic. Very unexpected of you."

Before he has a chance to reply, she winks at him and bids him goodnight.

* * *

During the fourth day of their little adventure, they decide to stop at a large field, for Claire to rest a little bit. It's so quiet and picturesque, with only some cars passing by.

"So... how was it? Being with Lorenzo, I mean. How did you spend your time together?"

Claire has that dreamy expression in her eyes again. "We used to rest under the trees, just like we do now, and talk for hours. He always brought something for us to eat, bread with olive oil and fresh tomatoes. And...we kissed. It was wonderful.", she finishes with a sigh.

Dany sighs with her. "He must have been very romantic."

Jon snorts. "What's romantic about eating in the dirt?"

Claire laughs quietly . He seems to be in a nasty mood today. "We are talking about her soulmate here, Jon. Of course it's romantic."

"Her soulmate was my grandfather. Let's not cancel my whole existence here.", he finishes with an annoyed huff before he walks away.

Claire looks at him fondly as he's standing under the sun. "It's hard for him to accept it. Maybe it's inappropiate of me to say, maybe it sounds rude, but the truth is... If I could turn back time, I would have stayed with Lorenzo. I would have never returned to England, never married Robert."

"Was he kind to you?", Dany dares to ask. "Did he love you?"

"Well... You can say Robert is much like Jon. He always insisted that love is nothing but hormones. Deep inside, though, he had a warm, passionate heart. I suspected he knew that I didn't love him. Not as I had loved Lorenzo. That he was my second choice. And when he passed away... We were still young, and I lost my son and my daughter-in-law soon afterwards in a car crush. I felt guilty. Like if it was my fault they died, because I had been unable to give all of me to my husband."

Dany remains silent for a moment, pondering Claire's words, before the elder woman speaks again. "What about you? You told me you have a fiance. Do your parents approve?"

She takes in a ragged breath, before the memories assault her with full force.

_"You are adopted, Dany... We are so sorry, sweetheart..."_

_"Your father... he had a gun..."_

_"Your mother, your brothers..."_

_"You were lucky..."_

"I... I am adopted. My adoptive parents, I couldn't have asked for better. They love and cherish me, I am their only child. My birth parents, that's another story. My father... He was mentally unstable and refused to receive medication. One night, he took a gun and killed my mother and my two brothers, before he shot himself too. I was a newborn at the time and my mother had left me at her sister that night. I was an orphan, and my aunt didn't want to take me in. So I was put up for adoption. My parents fell in love with me instantly, that's what they always tell me. In seven months, I had a new home. But when I learnt the truth...", she stops and realises Claire is looking at her with deep sadness.

"I am so sorry sweetheart. So very sorry. No child deserves this fate."

"Sometimes, I stay awake at night and look at the sky. Wishing I could see them. Even if it were only for a moment. I have no memory of them. They exist only in photographs, in what other people remember of them."

Claire takes her hands in hers and squeezes them softly. "I am certain they are amongst the stars you are looking at nights. And I am certain they are proud of the young woman you' ve become."

Dany fights to control her tears before Jon, who comes back, sees them.

* * *

"So, my grandmother wants to stay indoors and rest for today. What about we go for a stroll?"

Dany looks at Jon with an eyebrow lifted. "You and me? Do you want the city to explode?

He laughs, but she can see he is nervous, even hopeful somehow. "I promise I will be the perfect gentleman. No explosions from me."

'Well, that would be a great achievement for you."

* * *

"So, apart from accompanying your grandmother in this journey and being an insufferable prat, do you have other interests?"

"Well, I work as a lawyer. It doesn't leave me with much leisure time, but I play the piano and the guitar. It's really relaxing for those days you can't stand anyone, even yourself. I also try to travel. What about you?"

"Apart from what I have told you? Nothing else. I live with my fiance now, who wants to open his own restaurant. He is busy all the time, talking with suppliers, participating in auctions and tasting food and wine... I am an aspiring writer and a hopeless romantic. And you? No fiance, no girlfriend?"

"Actually, there was Patricia. We had been together for three years before we broke up."

"Let me guess, you broke up with her."

Jon laughs loudly, and she swears she feels giddy with the sound. "Are you implying I am more of the type of man who dumps than being dumped?"

"Yes, I think so."

"With Patricia, this was the case, yes. To my defence, she was cheating on me with my best friend."

"Oh my God!"

"Hard to ignore it when you find them shagging on your own bed. She pleaded with me to forgive her, but she had hurt me too much. I recently learnt she left London after our break-up."

"I am sorry, Jon. No one deserves to be cheated."

His eyes shine with mirth. "Not even a miserable British who's not romantic at all?"

"No. Not even you."

* * *

They sit at an ice cream shop and buy gelato, when Dany finally relents to Jon's pleads and lets him read what she has written so far. He seems engrossed in it, but she feels uncomfortable and takes the book back. "That's enough."

He looks at her incredulously. "This is amazing, Dany. Your writing... It's so animated. The words melt into one another and you can't wait to find out what's next."

She tries to fight the blush that's forming on her cheeks. "Thank you. I am glad you like it. I sincerely hope more will like it, too."

"Come one, don't be a chicken. Give it a try! You are not a fact- checker, you're a writer!"

With a mischievous smile, she lightly hits his nose with her ice cream cone. He stares at her dumbfounded. "Why did you just do that?!"

"I am not a chicken."

"Hmm. Alright. And I'm not a gentleman." He hits her with his ice cream in retaliation, and soon they are engaged in a playful ice cream fight that leaves them both dirty and breathless fron laughing.

Jon stands and offers her his hand, still shaking from laughter. "We should get back to Gran."

"Yes, yes we should definitely get back to Claire!"

* * *

The next day, they find themselves standing in front of a large house with a wooden door. They knock, but no one opens. After a couple of minutes, a young boy with a scooter asks them who they want and when they tell him, he leads them to a graveyard.

Among the graves, there is one simple grave with a white stone writing _LORENZO BARTOLINI._

Claire stands quietly in front of the grave, obviously taking her time and paying her respects to the dead man. But Jon is beside her, and he is seething with anger.

"Are you satisfied now? Will this be the perfect plot twist for your little story?"

"The last thing I wanted was Claire to get hurt! You don't get to accuse me I wanted this!"

"You should have thought of it. You should have thought the man could have died. Instead, you wrote that letter and... This is not a love story with a clever ending, okay? This is our life! Her life! She already lost Lorenzo once, how many times do you want her to lose him?"

"Jon, this is not the last Lorenzo. He may not be the one we've been looking for. It's not the end!"

"You don't get it, do you? Hasn't she suffered enough? She buried a husband, a son! Of course, what did I expect from you? You don't know a thing about real loss. Spoiled, entitled American who thinks she's something special..."

She lifts her hand in the air and slaps him before she can think of how he will react. It must have caught him on surprise, because he touches his cheek and looks at her incredulously.

"Accuse me of whatever you want. But don't accuse me of intentionally hurting Claire. And don't assume you know anything about me. You know nothing, Jon. _Nothing._ "

She turns her back on him and runs away from him, letting the tears finally fall. Behind her, she can faintly hear Claire admonishing Jon.

_"You're so wrong, Jon. She lost her entire family, her father..."_

She can't stay one more second there. She runs back to the car and calls for a taxi to take her back to the hotel.


End file.
